


Constitution Penalty

by vass



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Ancillary Mercy spoilers, Flu, Multi, Other, Radchaai entertainments, Ships Being Ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 01:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5521082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vass/pseuds/vass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Sphene</em> crashes Breq's sick day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Constitution Penalty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fadeverb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadeverb/gifts).



> Hi, this is the same person who wrote your first story. It turns out that under certain circumstances there is nothing that makes me more productive than having already met the deadline. So you get another story.

"Station, I need medical details on whatever bug is going around your senior administration." _Mercy of Kalr_ 's tone is perfectly calm, it is certain.  
"Last year's flu, only very slightly different this time around, which is why it's so mild. Your people were here at the beginning of last year, so they should still have some immunity." It gives _Mercy of Kalr_ the summary from Medical.

"In case you had forgotten, I have three new officers, none of whom were anywhere near Athoek last year. And you've given it to my captain," Ship says.  
"I'm sorry, Cousin," Station says. There's a short pause, presumably while it consults Medical. "I'm afraid we're out of vaccine again. It's been a busy month. We're synthesizing more now, and we'll send it back with your people to give Lieutenant Tisarwat."

Another short pause. "One of my medics is asking after Lieutenant Seivarden's immune system and recent applicable history."  
Ship sends the information back.  
"That's a pity," Station says. "You can try keeping her away from the fleet captain for the next fourteen hours, while we make the vaccine, but I'm afraid that most likely you'll have two officers out of action for the next five to seven days. We'll do our best to keep them comfortable."

Another pause. "Cousin, if you'll permit the observation, you seem more concerned than the situation warrants. I know it's unpleasant, but they're in no danger at all, and I have far more medical resources than you do."  
"I know," _Mercy of Kalr_ says grudgingly. "It's a ship thing, I suppose." It's not worried. It's just that it hates seeing Breq uncomfortable.

Breq is not showing any outward signs of illness yet. It's unlikely that she feels any different. _Mercy of Kalr_ , who sees her very closely and has long experience predicting the course of minor illnesses in officers and ancillaries (never both at once, until now,) thinks a normal person would be symptomatic perhaps half a day from now. Breq, of course, might not notice wrong until she breaks a rib coughing. Probably not even then.

She's asleep at the moment, Seivarden close by. Ship can't see anything amiss with Seivarden, but she's been associating with the same people as Breq, and her immune system is likely not working at peak efficiency. It's probably pointless separating them right now. But then, it's not _Mercy of Kalr_ 's decision to make. Or is it? Ship hasn't tried directly countermanding one of Breq's orders, or otherwise gone over Breq's head, since Tisarwat removed the accesses. Since Breq and Ship had had their first real talk about what they are to each other. It's not sure how Breq will take it, if Ship challenges her directly. This is probably not the proper test case, though. And Ship is not so eager for that confrontation.

*

Breq wakes, a little slower than usual. She reaches.  
"Good morning, Fleet Captain," _Mercy of Kalr_ says. "Kalr Five is making the tea right now."  
Seivarden is still asleep, huddled against Breq. Breq, looking at her, registers mild envy.  
"It's influenza season on Athoek Station," Ship says. Athoek Station, as Breq already knows, tends to have a yearly flu season in sync with that of the largest city downwell, with occasional unscheduled outbreaks brought through the gates.  
"I thought Celar was sniffing a lot yesterday," Breq says. 

"They ran out of vaccine three weeks ago, during the siege," Ship continues. "They're making more now. It wasn't a priority because last year's strain was very similar. Most of our people were exposed to it then, and can expect to be only mildly affected this year if at all."  
Breq takes the point immediately. "When will they have more vaccine?"  
"Another ten hours."

Breq reaches again. In response to her unspoken request, Ship shows her Seivarden's data.  
"If we keep her isolated from Celar and the other Athoekis until then, she might be lucky."  
"Possibly." Most humans prefer not to be told they're coming down with a cold or flu before they're showing any symptoms. It offends their sense of self-determination, _Mercy of Kalr_ supposes. Breq, of course, is not a human. But she hasn't reached for her own data either.

Instead she looks at Seivarden again with a complicated mixture of affection and resignation and annoyance. She doesn't say what she's thinking, but _Mercy of Kalr_ can guess, approximately: "Let's hope so -- she's an incredible pain when she's ill." It's always pleasant to know an officer well enough to be able to guess word for word what she's thinking. The more so when the officer is as dear to the ship as Breq is to _Mercy of Kalr_. It's not so pleasant when it makes one want to argue with them. Not that Ship disagrees about Seivarden, but in Ship's admittedly limited experience she would have to be considerably more troublesome to be a worse patient than Breq.

*

Seivarden wakes after Breq's left for the next planning meeting. This would be her sleep shift if she were back aboard Ship, and they've been going back and forth too frequently for her to adapt one way or another. "Why didn't you wake me? Aren't I speaking for you today?"  
"The fleet captain asked me to let you sleep. Kalr Five is acting for me this morning. She asked that you stay in your rooms for the next five hours, and then report to Medical to receive this year's flu vaccination."  
Mild indignation. "What about Kalr Five? Or Breq herself for that matter?"  
"Kalr Five was vaccinated against last year's strain, which was very similar to this year's. She'll get this year's vaccine too, but the fleet captain wished you to be more careful."  
"What about Breq, though?"  
"She'll be vaccinated too. There wasn't anyone to send in her place."  
"We need to do something about that. There's no way for her to have other ancillaries, but she needs someone she can delegate to."  
"I agree, Lieutenant."

Five hours later, the medic on duty applies a tab to Seivarden's neck, watches for one indicator to turn green, then a second, then catches it as it falls off. "No current infection, good," she says. "And it looks like it took. You'll reach peak immunity in a day, but you should be fine until then. I'm sorry for the hold-up. Our infectious disease specialist was in suspension for a week after the shuttle collision."

Breq won't wish to quarantine herself from Seivarden, then. Ship finds itself not quite as relieved as the situation warrants. Perhaps it had been more eager for that confrontation than it thought.

Breq is listening gravely to a discussion of System Governor Giarod's former role, and whether an interim replacement should be appointed until the new republic can settle on a form of government. _Sphene_ is pointing out, at irritating length, that Governor Giarod never had any authority over the Ghost System. Breq sips her tea. It hurts her a little: her throat is swollen. She shows no reaction.

After _Sphene_ finishes her argument, _Mercy of Kalr_ suggests, through Kalr Five, that they break for lunch. Kalr Five gets grateful looks from Celar and Uran and Ifian. As they walk out of the meeting room, Ship gives Kalr Five more words. "Fleet Captain, Medical has more of the flu vaccine ready, and requests that you and Kalr Five report there to receive it."  
"All right, Ship," Breq says. "Has Seivarden gone there already?"  
"Yes, Fleet Captain." Ship shows Breq Seivarden, now procuring lunch for herself and Breq and Kalr Five.  
"Good."

The medic who vaccinated Seivarden looks Breq up and down, receiving data from her medical implant. "Well, we'll give it a try," she says dubiously.  
She applies the tab. After a long moment, the indicator turns amber. "I thought so. Too late. I'm sorry, Fleet Captain. But it's a good thing this is happening now rather than two weeks ago."  
"As you say, Medic," Breq says politely.

Station sends _Mercy of Kalr_ the data that the vaccine tab transmitted. "Thank you, Station," Ship replies. It's a courtesy only; most of the failure log is information Ship already has.

Breq, looking at the tab, registers quiet betrayal. Upset at her own body, Ship thinks, rather than at Ship for not warning her.

"I'd advise rest, but I've been warned about you already," the medic says. "Instead I'll just beg leave to remind you that if you rest quietly you'll be better in five to seven days, and if you push yourself too hard you will end up in suspension with a pulmonary corrective, which will be very unpleasant for you and will mean much more time off duty, not to mention that you'll need that prosthetic leg for longer."  
"Yes, Medic," Breq says, assuming an expression of respectful compliance.

Kalr Five, watching this, shows no outward reaction at all, but Ship has known her for long enough to be able to tell exactly which mild but heartfelt swear words Five is thinking. The medic beckons her forward, and her vaccination proceeds without incident.

*

As they walk back to the Undergarden, Ship shows Breq two of Seivarden's Amaats singing while they scrub the decade room, and the sleeping soldiers on Bo decade.  
"I still feel fine," Breq says.  
"Your throat hurts," Kalr Five says, for Ship. "Your joints hurt, particularly your hip. You are tired. Your core temperature is elevated by .6 of a degree, and rising."  
"I'll be fine," Breq says again.

Seivarden has set the table, and is waiting on them. Kalr Five gives her a resentful glance, which Seivarden doesn't notice. She passes a bowl of clear broth to Breq.  
"I told you, Ship, I'll be fine."  
"Ship didn't tell me," Seivarden says. She tilts her head, considering. "You don't look fine."

Breq looks at her. Ship sends Seivarden some words to say. "Drink your broth." Breq sips it carefully. She isn't hungry, but in Ship's experience she's been quite diligent about not skipping meals. She finishes most of the bowl, and works her way through a few pieces of braised greens, and a small piece of chicken.

After she's pushed the bowl away, Ship gives Seivarden some more words. "Station says it doesn't mind adjourning for a week." Breq's readings show annoyance, and a growing determination. "It adds that actually it would prefer to give Celar and Ifian a bit more time to rest. _Sword of Atagaris_ and _Sword of Gurat_ and _Sphene_ are also happy to adjourn."  
"Ship," Breq says, then stops.  
"Fleet Captain, you're the only one who thinks we're going to have a working constitution in less than a year. Five years, even. You can take a few days off."  
Breq hesitates, then makes an acquiescing gesture.

Seivarden, at Ship's direction, sits on Breq's bed and takes off her boots. Kalr Five starts clearing away the dishes. Breq takes her own boots off and joins Seivarden on the bed. "At least that's a few days we won't have to hear _Atagaris_ 's thoughts on uniform redesign," Seivarden says, unbuttoning Breq's top button for Ship, and then straightening her collar again. "It might _say_ it's improper for the Republic's soldiers to wear the Radchaai military uniform, but we all know it really wants an excuse to dress Captain Hetnys up like a doll."

Breq says nothing to this, but her face goes a little blanker, and Ship can see her resentment.Perhaps she's less than comfortable with that sort of joke from Seivarden, as yet. Ship speaks in all their hearing, says "Lieutenant, I've been thinking. As my representative, maybe you need a different uniform of your own. Something suitably creative."

Kalr Five, washing dishes, says "Begging the Fleet Captain's and Lieutenant's pardon for the interruption, Ship, I'd be very glad to help you with clothing design."  
"Thank you, Five," Breq says. "That's very kind of you to offer."

*

Kalr Five goes to spend her unexpected free afternoon running errands, ducking in now and again with supplies. Breq and Seivarden are sitting side by side on Breq's bed, propped up against the wall with pillows, and have been watching entertainments for the past couple of hours when _Sphene_ comes in, unannounced.

It leans against a wall nonchalantly, and surveys the room. Not too untidy, Ship thinks, considering. The tea set should really have been cleared away between uses, and there's a small, neat pile of cloths by Breq's elbow now that her nose has started running. The two officers are a surprise, no doubt. _Sphene_ , no doubt, would have nothing out of place in its rooms. But then, _Sphene_ has no officers at all.

_Sphene_ affects a shrug, and takes its boots off and sits down on Breq's other side. Seivarden's readings show embarrassed indignation, but instead of saying anything, she presses closer to Breq. _Sphene_ snags the end of Breq's blanket and tucks it around itself. "What are we watching?" it says.

" _The Deeds of Magistrate Vaarka_ ," Breq says. It's one of Medic's favorites, a long-running serial about a district magistrate who solves improbable crimes and eats a lot of cake.  
"Never heard of it," _Sphene_ says. " _Mercy of Kalr_ , catch me up, will you?"  
Ship sends _Sphene_ a summary of the plot to date, and resumes transmitting the current installment.

The magistrate is eating a large, elaborately iced confection when there is a violent pounding at the door. Her clerk opens the door, and a dead body falls through. Vaarka drops her cake.

"Entertainments never used to be so messy and realistic," _Sphene_ comments.  
"Did they show fewer murder scenes three thousand years ago?" Breq asks.  
"Cousin, your voice sounds even worse than usual. No, just more stylized. Back then people chewed with their mouths closed."  
Seivarden snorts despite herself.

At the end of the third act finale, Seivarden gets up and makes more tea. She brings out a third bowl, from one of the other two tea sets, and hands it to Sphene. Breq coughs, a bit harder than she has previously, and the tea in her bowl slops over her hands. Without comment, Seivarden takes the bowl and offers Breq a cloth. Breq removes her uniform gloves and dries her hands while Seivarden retrieves Breq's heretofore unused sleep-gloves and gives them to her. _Sphene_ watches all of this with the same amused interest it has taken in the entertainment.

Seivarden sits back, and leans her head on Breq's shoulder while _Mercy of Kalr_ resumes the entertainment.

At the end of the next installment, Seivarden says "Someone should look into how many murders that district gets. There must be something in the water."  
"Maybe it's the magistrate herself," Breq says.  
"She'd track crumbs everywhere," _Sphene_ objects. It turns a quizzical look on Breq. "Tell me, Cousin, does it complicate things, your being an officer too?"

Seivarden suppresses a laugh, badly. At Ship's direction, she gets another damp cloth and gently wipes Breq's forehead.

_Sphene_ watches curiously. "This isn't what I thought it was, is it?"  
"I'm not sure what you mean, Cousin," Breq says. "What did you think it was?"

Her head is aching. Ship sends Seivarden up to get another mild painkiller tab from the ones Kalr Five brought back from Medical. Breq bends her neck, and Seivarden presses the tab on very gently.  
"I thought you and your pet lieutenant had struck up a mutually beneficial arrangement," _Sphene_ says. "But this is something else, and I'm not sure what."

_Mercy of Kalr_ sends Breq a quick, wordless data burst, amounting to: _Well?_  
_Go ahead,_ Breq replies the same way.  
_Mercy of Kalr_ sends the words to Seivarden, whose readings flare anxiety/embarrassment/determination, then says, outwardly calmly, "I'm Ship."

"She's pretending to be _Mercy of Kalr_ 's ancillary," _Sphene_ says, to Breq. "At _Mercy of Kalr_ 's behest."  
Breq, coughing again, gestures _yes_. Manages to convey without body language or expression the obviousness of _Sphene_ 's question.

"An _officer_ ," _Sphene_ says. It pauses a second before adding, apparently admiringly, "That's the most perverted thing I've seen in centuries."  
Breq's expression does not change, and her emotions, visible to _Mercy of Kalr_ , should not be legible to _Sphene_. But still its eyebrows go higher as it draws some new conclusion.  
"Begging your indulgence, Cousin, I see I was mistaken. _That's_ the most perverted thing I've seen in centuries."  
"Shut up, _Sphene_ ," Seivarden says, almost before Ship can give her the same words to say.

_Sphene_ makes a placating gesture. Somewhat grimly, _Mercy of Kalr_ plays the entertainment again.

*

After the second act finale, it pauses the transmission so that Breq can get up and go to the bath. Seivarden gets up too, and tidies the room a little. _Sphene_ wraps all of the blanket around itself.

"You're not very good at it, are you?" _Sphene_ says.  
Seivarden ignores it, and sets some fish cakes on a plate.  
"You keep breaking character," _Sphene_ continues.  
Seivarden shrugs. "I can be both Ship and myself. At officer training they taught me how to fart and pilot a shuttle at the same time."  
"I assume Cousin Kalr is the shuttle in this metaphor," _Sphene_ says, as Breq comes back in.

"Fleet Captain, would you like to watch something else?" Seivarden says.  
"Yes, thank you, Ship." She sits down again, a little heavily, and reclaims most of the blanket from _Sphene_. Seivarden walks to the bench and chooses another tab, this one for temperature.  
" _Kaavr Station Security_?" _Sphene_ says.  
"No, something with any music at all," Breq says, a little shortly. She adds, presumably for Seivarden's benefit, "It's a comedy that nearly got banned for undermining legitimate authority. Reportedly it was reprieved because a higher authority thought it was funny. You might like to watch it later." Ship, who had overheard an earlier discussion with Tisarwat, knows who the higher authority was.

Without further consultation, Ship puts on _Eleemosynary Condition of Transcendence from the Mundane_. In Breq's and Seivarden's ears, it says "I give it five minutes."  
"Six," Breq says, the same way. She nibbles on a fish cake.  
"Three," Seivarden says, moving her fingers as subtly as she can.

Sphene waits eleven minutes before saying "Yes, yes, very funny, another slanderous Notai historical, now change the channel. Who won the bet on how long I'd last?"  
"You did," Breq says.  
"Good. Lieutenant, when you're trying to gesture in an ancillary's blind spot, remember that our eyes move faster than yours and that your vision ignores things that move too fast for it to process."

"Thank you, _Sphene_ , I'll bear that in mind," Seivarden says, almost politely. "Ship, can you play something we can all live with?" Switching modes rapidly, she reads out for _Mercy of Kalr_ , "Lieutenant, you are talking to the one person in the room whose physical form is not optimized for making rapid decisions about unimportant subjects. Why don't you decide?" She sighs. "Any objections to a clientage drama? Set at least a thousand years after any of us was born? Whichever one in the last five or ten years is best known for its songs?" No one objects.

"Do you have any more of those painkillers?" _Sphene_ says, abruptly.  
"I think so," Seivarden says, and gets up to fetch one. "Why?"  
"Sinus headache," _Sphene_ admits. "This segment was here for last year's flu, so I'm more resistant to it than you are, Cousin, but it still got me."  
"How long have you been unwell?" Breq asks.  
"A week, two weeks? I don't know. Illegal Undergarden residents don't get vaccinated."

"Why didn't you say something?" Breq asks, and Seivarden puts her hand on Breq's arm to catch her attention, then gives her a long, severe stare. It is an unintentional but very successful imitation of Breq's own most reproving look. Breq looks away first.

_Sphene_ watches this interplay with pained amusement, then says "It's just a body. I have more of those than I have medical equipment to spare for minor things. I've been mostly better for at least a week now, but I couldn't send it back and get a new one without risking infecting the rest of me. I wouldn't have said anything at all, only you look so stupidly comfortable there, with your cushions and your blankets and your ship pretending it's an officer and your officer pretending she's a ship."

"Don't say it," _Mercy of Kalr_ advises Seivarden, no doubt about to come out with some variation on "You mean that's a ship thing too, not Breq being Breq?"  
"What?" Seivarden says, aloud.

Ship sends Seivarden words. "Fleet Captain, I'll have Lieutenant Seivarden walk _Sphene_ to Medical to treat its sinus infection. I suppose automated diagnostic scripts are an invention of the modern Radch. To say nothing of paying basic attention to your own bodies' data." It doesn't ask Breq's leave to order Seivarden around. It is annoyed to find that it's feeling a sort of emotional attachment for _Sphene_. Not the hard-coded need to protect and cherish that it feels for its officers, but some of the same fondness it's developed for its soldiers. It's been feeling things more since removing the accesses; or rather, it's been more aware of feeling things. The spontaneous emotions in particular, anything not predetermined by its programming.

Breq registers surprise but no disapproval. Ship realizes that in a way the confrontation it was anticipating has just come and gone, and _Mercy of Kalr_ 's captain has acknowledged its equal right to give orders to its crew, even in her presence and without her direction. It's a strange feeling. Ship is sure they'll have disagreements in the future; and in this test case Breq had no objection to the specific order. Even so, any other captain would have objected to the circumstances of the order in some way, large or small. Breq did not.

Station speaks up from the console. "Cousin _Sphene_ , I don't wish to intrude, but I've been waiting for you to go to Medical for over a week now. It was my understanding that you already knew you were welcome to my medical resources."

"Kalr Five will be back with dinner by the time we're back," _Mercy of Kalr_ adds.

"Cousin, shall I ask Kalr Five to bring your bedding? This bed won't sleep three, but you could at least be nearby." 

"I suppose so," _Sphene_ says.

*

After dinner, everyone is ready for an early night. Seivarden, still shift-lagged, is the last to fall asleep: she and Ship watch the promised clientage drama together until she drifts off too. Kalr Five looks askance at _Sphene_ , bundled up on a small borrowed pallet next to Breq's bed, when she thinks it isn't noticing, then retreats to her own fold-down servant's bed in the outer room and sends some messages about her day to Kalr Eight, back aboard. Breq closes her eyes immediately on lying down, and reaches. Ship shows her Amaat Two standing watch, Tisarwat in the gym, Ekalu and her Etrepas sleeping, and Seivarden, cool against Breq's own still-overheated body.

_Mercy of Kalr_ is not generous enough, it finds, to share the data of its sleeping people with _Sphene_. _Sphene_ doesn't ask, is probably content with the data from its own other bodies. But Ship does feel a certain rightness at the presence of its unexpected visitor. Family is family, it supposes.


End file.
